We run the Ninja FlexFlame through our 24 point Perfect Grill Checklist to see whether it’s worth all the hype! In this unsponsored …
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The Unfiltered Ninja FlexFlame REVIEW You've Been Waiting For
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I love the concept of this Ninja “smoker”, it seems very versatile, but I think I will wait for the intern to read this and suggest to R&D that we get more smoke. A bigger hopper, I’d guess. Thanks for this video!
With how quick it cooked I would try cold smoking for an hour maybe 2 b4 the cook it help infuse more smoke.
Can’t stand probes that r attached to the unit. They r a pain to maintain I much prefer something like what was used in this vid for the brisket.
Good review. Do you think cooking at a lower temperature would allow more smoke time?
My advice would be to wait 3 years for them to make improvements.
I have a kettle, Traeger and Blackstone. After seeing these I was hoping this would do all of that but it sounds like it won’t smoke(I use my kettle for smoking) is there anything else coming this year like this?
I would have bought this if it was better at smoking, but I'm sure it's probably a great all-around solution for others who don't want/need a smoker
That convection fan is gonna get real gross real quick probably…
My guy – watch a brisket trimming video. My goodness.
Thanks for the video, I was waiting for a review like yours. I've been on the fence between buying a smoker or a new BBQ. FlexFlame was my goto. But now, seeing the video, a lot of my questions have been answered. I think I may push towards a pellet smoker, especially for the price of ninja being well over 1200 canadian dollars. Thank you for your review 😊
Yeah I watched the other video you clearly stated it was a sponsorship. You need to take them to keep going which I'm all about. I'm not sure why so many people had issues with it. Thanks so much for putting this video out. I was waiting for it. I am super curious about this grill. Probably won't get one but I love hearing about the new tech and players entering the space.
I want to see its comparison towards a regular pizza oven(Ooni)
I always come to your channel for any recommendation related to outside cooking, Keep up the good work.
Can this grill operate without power during an emergency?
Great review David and Melissa.
A family with 2 children, I find the Air fryer capability, Smash burgers, and some grilled veggies the griddle attachment is perfect. Looks like the versatility hear, will be the Best choice for us.
I would love to see you review the Reqtec dual fire 1200
It would be great if it worked with natural gas and had a bigger hopper for pellets.
It’s very expensive. Up here in Canada they want 1199.99 plus tax 😢
This thing appears to be trash
Thanks for the updated review. Is there any way to clean the fan blades/housing? I could see over a lot of build up getting in there over a short period of time.
Sending greetings as a fellow Fishers resident! I currently have multiple outdoor grills /smokers like you described as I need these functionally based cookers. With that said, as much as I enjoy my Hasty Bake Legacy and the phenomenal smoked and grilled items, there are times when I would enjoy a less taxing overnight smoke. The FlexFlame was somewhat compelling for its flexible options, but it's limited ability to impart smoke flavor are a deal killer for me. Re: your fist video…keep on rocking the way you do!! This follow up allowed you to meet both requirements, a features / options video and an unbiased review. I love your content… keep it coming!
I don't know why anyone would expect you to not do sponsored content. Have they seen the price of this stuff? that'd be crazy to self fund every single video. they just need to sit back and think critically on what they're seeing for two seconds. Sponsored also doesn't mean lying for most people. That'd be a huge breach of trust and hurts long term health of channels like this
It's a cool concept, but it sounds like it misses the mark on adding smoke flavor to a gas grill.
I have no issue with your review BUT your 'gor·geous' brisket was the ugliest brisket I've ever seen. .and I've cooked well more than 100… 😂 As for the grill? Its perfect for those who fall for gimmicks, abhorrent to those who research their purchases.
No charcoal grill that I know of and most kamados (other than the Kamado Joe) monitor temperature so after market thermometers are necessary. I know of no offset smoker that offers internal temperature monitoring. But all of those grills are simple. There is nothing to break. Learn to manage temperature by controlling air flow and they'll cook anything. They are simple so will last forever. All but the offset smoker will sear, and all will cook low and slow and indirect. Weber kettle grills start at much less than 1k. No offense to the owners of gas grills but you might as well be cooking on a stove. Charcoal, lump or brickettes, add flavor. Gas is more convenient and faster. This was a great review but a comparison with other "do it all" grills would be helpful.
Hard Pass…
Thanks for the honest review. Not what I need. Maybe some day they will have a better smoker function. Time to look at the bronco blackstone smoker
Thanks for this. I was considering buying a Ninja but once you gave this review and the brisket didn’t have much smoke flavor, I changed my mind. I assume the same would happen with a pork butt.
Cost, for one. I already have a pizza oven and pellet smoker, so I think some of the features would be wasted. What I really want is a gas grill and flat top
That brisket was braised, not smoked.
Pellet volume is way too low. My Smokefire hopper holds an entire 20lbs bag and will last all day. This thing was poorly planned.
I would be holding off on buying a Ninja FlexFlame simply because they are so new. I would hope that Ninja will respond to some of the issues you spoke of in upcoming iterations. I'm open to the idea of the FlexFlame and appreciate the full review. Having storage for the flat grill and pizza stone would be great, as well as adding a rotisserie feature. BTW, I love the channel and subscribed so I'll be watching for more great content. DW
I would like to see you do a brisket cook again using a smoke tube as well. That way you can keep it smoking the whole time. Would that be enough to give it that smoke flavor that it was lacking?
Thing about these wave of sponsored Ninja videos is, I was really interested in seeing an unbiased un-sponsored review. Ninja went hard on their ad campaigning on this one, and we havent seen a video that deep dives.
Its frustrating bc actually do love my Woodfire grill. I have my offset, and my regular grill, but for snap and easy smoking. I use my Ninja all the time. Im wondering why this time, theyre pouring so much into this product.
Does the pellet chambers work at any temp or independently? Could you start a brisket at 200 degrees to add additional time for smoke?
Regardless, I think the Ninja is a great outdoor cooking device. I’d use my offset for brisket and would use the Ninja to finish and hold.
Great test.
Just got one yesterday. I like it so far but man is it loud. Just having this thing sitting out on the deck it’s really loud even in the house. I hope ninja comes up with a way to be able to shut the fan off and grill conventionally. The wife isn’t happy and this might be a dealbreaker for me.
Good Breakdown.
This thing is $999. For less than $600 you can get an Oklahoma Joe's Bronco Pro (the BIG one) which can do overnight briskets, hanging ribs and chickens, cold smoking and high heat grilling as well as cook on two levels. With 1 moving part (the lid) it will last for decades. This puppy, not so sure.
For reference, I own a Bronco drum (the small one in its 6th year) a Blackstone rotating pizza oven (now entering it's 12th year!), a Napoleon gas grill (5th year) and a Fireboard Controller (entering it's 7th year). NONE have failed.
If I had to choose just one of these cookers, especially considering price, it would be the Bronco Pro. Add a Fireboard controller and you can cook just about anything you want (except pancakes😀).
I always get a chuckle out of couch potatoes who watch videos for free with no effort who complain about someone taking that filthy money from vendors, either via contributed products or (gasp!) sponsorships. It takes money to run a channel like this which requires no only the acquisition of expensive products but also the time it takes to research, write a script, take many videos, and edit the videos into a tight presentation. Time = money. We all should be happy to have high quality, high integrity YouTube channels and leave the complaining at the door.
Way to expensive
Are the ninja pellets designed differently, in order to deliver more smoke based on it design , maybe there’s another reason they say to use ninja pellets, other than the obvious marketing.
There has to be a way to add smoke. Like a smoke tube or one of the other after market products?
You used the phrase "jack of all trades." There's the second part to that phrase…"master of none."
And about longevity, a lot of it is due to maintenance and care. Whether you leave it out uncovered versus covered or in your garage during bad weather makes a huge difference.
I will probably wait and see all the new grills first before choosing
You didn't actually solve the smoked brisket question completely. 🙂 Do it again with Ninja Pellets. Unfortunately I use natural gas everywhere. Great video by the way.
Brisket fat was not even close to rendered out
Hey David. I just got my flex flame and just did the initial burn off for it… I had a question because I didn’t see it in the manual… so I need to season the inside of the hood? I noticed yours has a nice layer of what looks to be seasoning on it.
What did the internal temps range. Great video
Thank you for this honest review. I feel like this grill is a good start; I've always wondered why we don't see temperature controlled propane grills, and with the convection option food appears to cook more rapidly, which can be a mixed blessing. So while I don't know that I'll be purchasing one of these, I am very interested to see where Ninja goes with this after a promising start, and what other grill companies are going to do to chase after them.
so many people are quick to put on their angry pants , chill people.